Poinsettia Christmas

 

I've been playing with the Penny Black Scarlet Majesty cling stamp, one of my absolute favourites.  This first one is on mixed media paper using Distress Inks, with a touch of black pen to add tension.  The sentiment is from Tim Holtz.

I'm entering this into Penny Black Saturday challenge - Christmas.

I did this next one on Hunkydory Ink Me card and went for a cleaner image, adding shading with coloured pencils.  The sentiment is from Uniko Studio.

I'm entering it into The Flower Challenge - Christmas

While the stamp was still in the MISTI I spritzed and stamped off and got this image.  It needed a little help, so I outlined it and added veins for a bit of definition.  The sentiment is from MFT.

I'm entering this one in Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

I got a couple more stamp-offs that you can see in this group picture.  Not a bad morning's work, eh?

Go Wild On Your Birthday

What?  You've never seen a blue and white zebra before?  Really??  Me neither, but I thought, why not - after all, I'm in a monochromatic mood.  And that means I can play along with CAS Watercolour Challenge, Something Blue,

and while I'm at it, I'm also playing along with The Library Challenge - I'm going with the stripes.

And then there's Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, Masculine

and finally, Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes.

We're having miserable weather for June - even the teapot was trying to keep warm!

Christmas Kickstart - Festive Felines

I'm playing along for the first time in the Christmas Kickstart challenge, where the theme is Festive Felines.

Most of my Christmas stamps are packed away, but I have a small stash of already-stamped images, and I found this little kitty in the midst of them.  And seeing as he's a Penny Black image, I'm playing along with Penny Black Saturday challenge Anything Goes.

My first Christmas card of 2019!

One Layer Flowers

I've been sloshing Distress Inks around again, this time on a one layer card.  I'm trying to use colour combinations that I wouldn't think to use (or that I think wouldn't work together) and I'm getting some surprisingly nice results.  For this card I used Shaded Lilac, Faded Jeans, Pine Needles and Forest Moss.  I start with a very wet brush loaded with Shaded Lilac, then without cleaning the brush,  I pick up some of Faded Jeans.  When it's half-dry, I drop in a bit more of the Faded Jeans.  Then I did the same with the leaves: Pine Needles first, then Forest Moss (that was the surprising bit, I didn't think those two colours would work together but I like the effect).

I'm entering this into the new One Layer Simplicity Challenge - Fabulous Flowers;

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

And Colour Me... Creative - use up to 5 colours of your choice.

I Love Stamps

It's stating the obvious, but I Love Stamps.  And stamping.  And one layer cards.  And challenges.  So when Simon Says Monday Challenge came up with "We Love Stamps" for this week's theme, I'm straight in there!

I've used the colour scheme from City Crafter of black/grey/white with a splash - red for me.

It's a one layer challenge at Less is More:

At the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, it's all about making a valentine or other card for someone special:

And on the Penny Black blog, the Website Wonder challenge is to use anything from the new Happy Everything release.

I've used the Bashful die, but I've used it as a stencil, so I hope that counts!  I sponged Black Soot and Barn Door through the stencil for the main image, then repositioned it and sponged lightly, getting a light grey colour with just a hint of the red around the flower.  Unfortunately I also managed to get some red on the underside of the masking tape which transferred onto the card as I repositioned the stencil.  So I just repeatedly stuck the masking tape down on the card, transferring more red smudges.  I added the sentiment in black, but decided it needed a bit more black, so I used the edge of an old credit card to stamp some random black lines on the card.

I'm getting way behind with blog visits, so I'm hoping to catch up with everyone tonight or tomorrow!

Die - Penny Black Bashful
Sentiment  Penny Black Salutations

ETA:  I forgot about the obvious one - One Layer Simplicity Challenge - Can You Repeat That?

Wall HeART

I picked up this slightly damaged heart-shaped wall hanging in the sale section a store.  It only cost me £1 and as I wanted to alter it anyway, it didn't matter to me that it was a bit scuffed.  I meant to take a photo of it before I altered it, but I was so eager to start on it that I forgot.  Basically it was just a plain cream-painted heart, probably made from MDF rather than wood, with another little heart stuck on at the centre.  The hanging ribbon was already attached.

There were a few steps involved:

1. Sand all edges.
2. Scuff surface with distress tool.
3. Remove dust.
4. Stamp images onto tissue paper and dry with heat gun.
5. Paste stamped tissue onto heart surface using diluted PVA glue.
6. Go to cinema while project is drying - we watched The Railway Man.
7. Sand surplus tissue off.
8. Apply Brushed Pewter Distress Paint and Picket Fence Distress Stain.
9. Sponge edges and centre heart with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.
10. Adhere silver chain around centre heart.
11. Add Prima flower.

Here's a pre-cinema photo:

It's going into a few challenges:

Curtain Call Love Letter

Simon Says Monday Challenge Anything Goes

Simply Create Too Valentine's Day or Use Hearts

Penny Black Saturday Challenge New (new heart, and new Penny Black stamps)

Penny Black Sending Hugs

Here's another view.  All stamps Penny Black.

A snowflake and Day 13 Advent Village

Here's another card I made from last week's Distress Ink master board, this time using Penny Black stamps.  I'm entering it into the following challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays - Let It Snow

CASology - snowflake

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Let It Snow

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Christmas

Penny Black: 3897H Starflake, 3898F Joy Hope

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Day 13 Advent Village

Insider Online Card Class and Penny Black Fest

I'm back in the classroom with Insider Online Card Class, it's all about looking after your innards.  I mean inners.  I must admit, as soon as I've finished the front of a card, that's it, I move on to the next card and neglect the insides, so this class was meant for me!  Day one has been full of inspiration, as I'm sure the next days will be.

So still with the Distress Ink theme of the last few days, this time I inked the stamp directly with the pads, starting with the yellow, then spritzed lightly and stamped onto the card panel.  Then I re-spritzed and stamped off onto scrap paper, then re-spritzed again and stamped the image onto the inside of the card so that there's just a hint there.  The idea is to stamp a sentiment over it, but I can't decide which sentiment at the moment, so it's back in the To Do pile.

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Now Penny Black have been having a Colourful Christmas Colour Combo challenge (you don't have to use Christmas stamps), but the first card doesn't meet any of the colour combos.  So out came more Distress Inks and more Penny Black stamps:

This one is for the Day 3 challenge.  I wasn't too sure about the colours last night, but in the broad light of day I can live with it.

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I haven't been playing with Distress Inks ALL the time.  This one uses Penny Black's Madison papers and the colour combo from Day 4:

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And finally, this one.  The image panel is supposed to be crooked, should have taken the photo from the other side.  Or placed the panel at more of an angle.  This one is for Day 5: